Study It. Or Experience It?

By fearlessparent April 5, 2008 - 11:56am

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Hello Everyone!

I am thrilled to be apart of your forum. I need to find parents and grandparents who aren't out to bash me for loving children and their families at all costs. I was asked here what it takes to be a fearless parent, and just can't find where that comment is. I'm going to add a response next week, as I've been pondering this very thought provoking question. Its made me consider where my motivation comes from and it turns out my own personal experience might be a place to start. I'm honored to be challenged to respond well. So I'll get that up next week.

So I'm starting this one to get your thoughts on my approach to fearless parenting. I take a lot of hits and would so appreciate your feedback on this email. A medical professional who listened to one of the audios in my 7-week training series for families sent me a very strong email. I have to admit it is intentionally controversial, because it is straight talk about the current preschool crisis and it implicates a few household names. So here's what she said and how I responded on my blog. Thanks in advance for sharing your input on the following, and for the warm welcome!

"I have a science background, B.S. in Physics...when it comes to something that can be tested, anecdotal evidence and (a parent's) experience is not enough. Well designed and ideally double blind studies placed into peer reviewed journals far outweigh anyone's personal experience. Ethically, I cannot help you spread your ideas as I believe they are harmful to society."

Name Withheld Out of Respect

So just what are these “harmful ideas” of mine? Whether the topic is child learning or their health I am adamant that parental intuition override “alpha-pathology” (a term I coined for those whose alphabets indicate their focus on dis-ease management).

Studies… outweigh any ones personal experience. Yet according to Dr. Starfield's famous report and even the British Medical Journal medical mistakes kill 100,000 Americans a year. It turns out that one of the top three leading causes of death in the U.S. is none other than well "studied" medicine. And to think that you and I are being told that its heart dis-ease! Fox News warns us that in the U.S. life expectancy is slipping so much so that Americans are less than 40th among healthy nations, placing us solidly among some of the most destitute in the known world. And this is what results from so called studies? So much for science! Listen to a portion of my interview with Dr. David Kennedy (former head of the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology) on my first ever pod-cast and then decide whose ideas are really harmful. (Trying to get this podcast going and I don't know what I'm doing so its taking me a l-o-n-g time! Ugh! :(

So there's the gist of what she shared and my response. Now what do you say? Come blog with me, won't you? :)

Adelaide Zindler, FP (Fearless Parent)